Hello
by Batdz Angel
Summary: She wasn't broken, at least she told herself that. But why did everyone treat her as if she was? A songfic focusing on the mind and life of one particular cheerleader.


**The one and only Batdz Angel**

**Is Proud to present**

**A ****_Daria_********Fanfiction**

© Copyrighted 1997 to 2002, _Daria_ is the property of MTV (Music Television) and the property of its creators. I am in no way affiliated with either and this is merely for entertainment purposes. The song "Hello" belongs to the group Evanescence. The CD "Fallen" is really good, I recommend it.

If you would like to draw any fanart, please let me know what of and where it shall be posted at _Chelita777@aol.com_. Thanks!

The idea for this came to me one day. I like to think that Brittany isn't as dumb as she appears (the token blonde cheerleader) and wanted to explore that somewhat. Enjoy the story. I know I did writing it.

**Summary:** She wasn't broken, at least she told herself that. But why did everyone treat her as if she was? A songfic focusing on the mind and life of one particular cheerleader.

**Hello**

The beeping of the alarm pulled her from her dreams and she grunted, slapping one hand over the snooze button with mild annoyance. Blinking sleepily, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and yawned, grimacing as she saw the blue and yellow cheerleader outfit. Raking her golden hair back, she staggered to her feet and into the adjoining bathroom, grunting as she bumped her hip on the doorframe.

Peeling off her red T-shirt and loose black pants, she showered her nude form, one ear listening to the radio as she scrubbed her hair with the vanilla scented shampoo, shifting from one foot to the other. As she finished, she heard the sounds of her father stirring, as well as her stepmother.

Quickly, she brushed her teeth and glared at her reflection, pale blue eyes dark with quiet sadness. Plugging in her blow dryer she began the task of drying her tangled locks and then placed them in her regular pigtails.

She paused in picking up the tight blue sweater and looked longingly at a pair of faded blue jeans that were draped over a chair. Sighing, she pulled the sweater on and then the short flared skirt. Digging through her dresser, she found a pair of socks and yanked them on. Then, she slid her sneakers onto her feet and picked up her backpack, opening her bedroom door as her brother shot by in his pajamas.

And Brittany Taylor faced the day.

_Playground-_

_School bell rings again-_

_Rain clouds come to play again…_

She forced a cheerful, vacant smile on her features as she walked down the stairs, emitting a happy, "Hi Daddy!" as she passed her father at the kitchen table. Her father looked up and smiled in reply, his eyes conveying mild exhaustion as he said, "Hello Princess! Are you ready for school?"

"Yeah! Kevvie's picking me up today!" she trilled inwardly wincing at the sonic sound of her voice. Waving, she bounced out the door to the yellow jeep and said happily, "Hi Kevvie!"

"Hey Babe!!!" her boyfriend, Kevin Thompson, the Lawndale High Quarterback said as he leaned over for a kiss. Screwing her eyes shut, Brittany grimaced inwardly as his mouth met hers, tongue probing hers. She made a purring sound and pulled away with a giggle, saying, "Kevvie! We should get to school!"

"Right Babe!" Kevin said cheerily as he pulled away from her house. Brittany glanced out the window and sighed to herself, thinking, _Another day…another moment of my life… _

Kevin pulled into the parking lot with a loud cheer as the rest of the football team gathered around. Brittany hopped out and waved to her fellow cheerleaders, thinking savagely, _Hi, you stupid, vapid bitches. I'm your leader and role model to idiocy… _ as she bounced over, saying, "We're going to win today! Yeah!"

_Has no one told you-_

_She's not breathing?_

Brittany waved her pom-poms in the air, yelling, "We're not losers! We're not losers! Lawndale RULES!" as she slid into a split, waving and beaming at the crowd. She saw the admiring glances some of the males offered her and scowled inwardly, thinking, _Horny, malicious little Bastards. There is no way I would _ever _let them near me… _

She saw two familiar faces in the crowd and waved, for a moment forgetting who she was supposed to be. Alarm flickered across the two females faces and Brittany ignored the cheerleaders for a moment as she slipped into the bleachers.

"Hi Daria! Jane!" she said as she plunked herself down. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Trying to give some spirit," Jane Lane said her eyes filled with boredom. She wore her regular outfit of black shirt underneath a red campshirt, gray shorts, black tights, and gray combat boots. Her lips were a vibrant red color that complimented her sky-blue eyes. Three silver earrings gleamed in her left ear and her hair fell around her face flatteringly.

Brittany smiled absently at Daria Morgendorffer, who said flatly, "Li made us come." Dressed in her black combat boots, black skirt, green jacket, and orange blouse, Daria looked out of place at the game. Brittany chuckled and said, "Really? That's kinda mean…"

"Brittany!" Doris, another cheerleader yelled. "C'mon! We need to do the pyramid!"

"Oops!" Brittany said and waved goodbye, skipping down to the field two at a time. "See ya guys later!"

_Hello-_

_I'm your mind-_

_Giving you someone to talk too-_

_Hello…_

Brittany closed her bedroom door, leaning against it heavily, pulling her pigtails out. She shook her hair free and sighed with relief as the tension in her temples slid away. Peeling off her cheerleader outfit, Brittany pulled on the faded jeans she had been wanting earlier that day and a pair of dark blue combats boots with a white T-shirt. Grabbing a dark blue bandanna, she covered her golden hair and grabbed a knee-length navy peacoat. 

Brittany locked her door and turned on her radio, turning the volume up high, then grabbed her wallet and slipped out the window. Balancing herself on the tree, she scrambled down and paused, glancing to and fro for any of the neighbors. She darted forward, opening the passenger door of the blue Toyota that was hidden across the street.

Buckling herself in, she said simply, "Hey."

"Yo." Her friend answered before pulling away.

She sighed and ran a hand over her jeans, saying, "I can't wait till we graduate."

Andrea smirked. "You and me both Blondie."

"We're we going?"

"The Zen. Mystik Spiral's playing tonight."

"Got any hair dye?"

"Good one. Daria won't say anything. And if she does, tell her the truth…"

Brittany snorted and slouched down in her seat as Andrea's cousin, Adam, said, "Want a smoke?" pushing a cigarette forward from the back. Brittany sighed and picked up the slender white object, eyeing it for a moment. 

She paused, a sneer lighting her features. "Gotta light?"

_If I smile-_

_And don't believe-_

_Soon I know-_

_I'll wake from this dream…_

The Zen was packed by the time they arrived and Andrea weaved her way through the crowd, Brittany and Adam following. Claiming a seat for herself, Brittany took another drag of the cigarette in her mouth and blew the smoke into the air. She smirked as she saw Jane and Daria sitting at a table with Jane's boyfriend, Tom Sloane.

Stubbing the cigarette out, Brittany leaned over and said to Adam, "Do you got any more?"

Adam dug through his pockets and handed her a packet of Marlboro Lights. "Keep 'em!" he yelled over the music. "I've got another at home!"

"Thanks!" Brittany yelled back. She tapped out another one and lit it, bringing it to her lips with mild apprehension. She inhaled and sighed, the smoke burning in her lungs and thought, _I really should give this up… _  

Brittany watched as the band, Mystik Spiral, went onstage. She smiled as she saw the rhythm guitarist search the crowd, his blue eyes meeting hers for a brief moment. A happy smile lit up his features and he glanced towards Trent Lane, who was busy introducing them. 

As the first notes of "Behind My Eyelids" began, Brittany wished that she didn't have to hide anything about herself anymore…

Wished and dreamt that life wasn't as screwed up as she knew it was.

And that she could be with the man she really loved.

_Don't try to-_

_Fix me…_

She waited for the band to finish taking down the equipment and then slipped forward, brushing her hand against his arm. He turned and a bright, happy smile spread across his handsome features as he took her in, brushing callused fingers against her cheek gently. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand against his fingers, whispering, "Hello."

"Hey," he whispered back. Glancing around, he pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth and said, "Can you stay?"

"Not for long," she replied softly. "I have to be home before six tomorrow. Dad's throwing some big business party and I need to be there."

His eyes sharpened, the color fading to an icy blue. "Will _he_ be there?"

She nodded, not meeting his gaze and he cursed softly before pressing a kiss to her temple, saying, "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be," she offered him a wry smile. "I could change things but this is what my father wants. A doll."

"It's not right," he said quietly.

"No," she agreed as she searched his blue eyes. "It's not."

_I'm not-_

_Broken…_

The dress was a beautiful pale blue that matched her eyes and cut low, another of her father's preferences. She plastered a fake smile onto her features as a few of her father's associates introduced themselves, their eyes lingering on her cleavage.

She pretended not to understand the thinly veiled comments about her 'health' and merely answered with chipper, happy answers. Seeing Kevin making his way towards her, Brittany inwardly sighed but let out a happy, "Babe!" as he smiled at her.

"Babe!" he answered as he threw an arm around her shoulder, his eyes dropping down to her cleavage. A frown crossed her features and Brittany nudged her elbow into his stomach, saying sharply, "Up here. _Kevvie_."

"Sorry Babe!" he focused his eyes on her face.

She went through the motions, ignoring the pitying glances from the women she knew had been friends with her father before her mother's death and thought to herself, _Someone please…get me out of here… _

_Hello-_

_I'm the lie-_

_Living for you-_

_So you can hide…_

The next morning, she told her father she was going to cheerleading practice. He seemed to search her eyes for a moment and then his face tightened as he said, "Don't lie to me Brittany."

She paused, allowing surprise to flicker across her features. "Daddy?" she asked innocently. "What is it?"

He got to his feet and said sharply, "Where are you really going? It's a Sunday. You never go to cheerleading practice on Sundays. Where are you going Brittany Elizabeth?"

The mask fell and she rose to her full height, squaring her shoulders. "Do you really want to know _Daddy_?" she hissed. "Do you really care? I've been playing this part for you since I was six years old. Since Mama died. And suddenly, you care?"  
  
"Brittany," he began as pain flickered across his features at the mention of her mother. "I did this for you. So you could be protected."

"Protected?" she snorted. "I'm anything but protected Dad. I'm used. I'm a goddamn living Barbie doll and it's all because of you! I won't do this anymore!"

His hand swung towards her but she neatly sidestepped the blow, her hands coming up and catching his wrist. She twisted his arm, shoving him onto the table and said into his ear, "I think you should send all my things to Daria Morgendorffer's house. And if you try to find out where I really am, her mother is the best damn lawyer in this entire town. Think about that, _Daddy_."

She turned and fled the house.

_Don't cry…_

Tears slid down her face as she drove, wiping her eyes furiously with one hand. With a screech of the tires, she pulled into the driveway of a suburban home and flew up the walkway, her fist pounding on the door.

It opened after a few minutes and Jane Lane squinted at her with sleepy eyes, saying, "Huh…? Brittany?"

"Is Jesse here?" she asked, running a hand through her loose hair. "I need to talk to him."

"Jesse? What?" Jane blinked again, her eyes seeming to focus slightly. 

"Jane-" Brittany began impatiently but Jesse Moreno's voice sliced through.

"Brittany?"

"Jesse!" she cried throwing herself into his arms. "Oh God. Jesse, it's over. It's finally over…"

He gently pulled her back to look into her eyes and whispered, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks, and said, "Yeah."

_Suddenly-_

_I know-_

_I'm not sleeping…_

She awoke with a start, her chest heaving as she felt the fear slide over her. Exhaling, she glanced to her side and a smile lit up her features as she recognized the long hair of her lover. Curling up against him, she whispered, "Hello…"

_I'm Brittany Taylor. The _real_ Brittany Taylor… _

She sighed as she took in his scent, her fingers trailing against his strong back as he slept, his breathing music to her ears. She pressed her cheek against his back and murmured, "I love you…"

Her eyes drifted shut and she slept.

_Hello-_

_I'm still here…_

She stared down at the blue and yellow cheerleading outfit. Hearing footsteps behind her, she smirked to herself as Adam's voice said, "Want a smoke?"

Holding out her hand, Brittany held out her hand and took the cigarette, saying, "Got a light?" as she brought it to her lips. A lighter was handed to her and she lit up her cigarette, blowing smoke into the air. Pausing, she knelt and lit the end of the short yellow skirt, watching as it began to burn.

And she finally flew free.

_All that's left of yesterday…_

**FINIS**


End file.
